Former Village Head in North Lombok Named Suspect in Village Fund Corruption Case

The Criminal Investigation Unit of the North Lombok Police has officially designated the former Head of Akar-akar Village, located in the Bayan District, North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), identified by the initial A, as a suspect in an alleged corruption case involving the management of village funds (DD).

North Lombok Police Criminal Investigation Unit Chief, Inspector I Komang Wilandra, stated that the designation of the suspect followed a case review conducted at the West Nusa Tenggara Regional Police. “Based on the results of the case review, the former Head of Akar-akar Village, initial A, has been named a suspect,” Komang said on Wednesday.

The alleged corruption pertains to the management of village funds for the 2021–2023 period. Investigators discovered evidence of fictitious budgets and price mark-ups on several physical village projects. “The misappropriated projects included the procurement of funeral shrouds (keranda), as well as physical infrastructure projects such as roads,” he added.

According to calculations by the West Nusa Tenggara Finance and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP), the total state loss in this case amounts to Rp 551 million. Komang noted that while the former village head’s status has been elevated, he has not yet been interrogated as a suspect, having previously only been questioned as a witness. “We will conduct an interrogation of the individual as a suspect as soon as possible,” he said.

In 2021, Akar-akar Village received village funds totaling Rp 2.37 billion, disbursed in three stages. In 2022, the village received an additional Rp 2.42 billion, and in 2023, the allocation was Rp 1.03 billion. These funds were intended for various community activities, including the development of local communication installations, the rehabilitation of public latrines, the maintenance of health posts (polindes), and the preservation of traditional village houses.